The first signs of trouble appeared before sunrise. Clara arrived at Ravenscroft Group headquarters carrying her usual coffee and tablet, expecting another exhausting day of transition meetings.
Instead, she walked into a storm.
Her phone had already received thirty-seven emails before she reached the executive floor.
By the time the elevator doors opened, the number had climbed to fifty-two. None of them were good.
Clara sighed.
"Wonderful."
The receptionist looked up nervously.
"Good morning, ma'am."
That alone told Clara something was wrong.
People only called her "ma'am" when they were uncomfortable.
"What happened?"
The receptionist hesitated.
Then pointed toward a television screen mounted in the lobby.
Clara looked.
Immediately regretted it.
A financial news network was discussing her appointment as CEO.
The headline running beneath the broadcast made her jaw tighten.
IS CLARA READY TO LEAD RAVENSCROFT GROUP?
